DeDanaan

Filed by Aine MacDermot

Birth and rebirth are fertility. The Celts believed that souls were manifested as tiny animals or beings (MacCulloch, 160). Lleu Llaw Gyffes was grown from “some little thing” (Ford, 98-99). If such a magical being was eaten by a female, then it would grow until she gave birth to it. This is illustrated in the rebirths of Taliesin, Sétanta, Finnebach Ai, and Donn Cuailnge who were all consumed by their mothers as tiny creatures and then reborn. Taliesin had been Gwion Bach disguised as a grain of wheat (Ford, 164, 173) and Sétanta, later known as Cúchulainn, had been a vague, tiny creature in a drink, possibly the soul of the god Lug (Kinsella, 23). Both Taliesin and Cúchulainn had extraordinary abilities extending to the supernatural, and Taliesin even described himself as having previously been Gwion Bach. Friuch and Rucht changed into maggots, very small creatures, and were consumed by cows while fighting each other in a battle of magic. They became reborn as the extraordinary bulls Finnebach Ai and Donn Cuailnge. They continued to escalate their combat by involving the tribes of Ireland, suggesting at least partial survival of their personalities.

Animals are used to bring knowledge directly by speech, through what they symbolize, and through their use in rituals. Eating special animals provided Celts with knowledge. When Demne tastes by accident the salmon of wisdom caught by Finn Éces (Ford, 20) he gains such great wisdom that he is renamed. Davidson (143) mentions the use of animal hides to enhance the contents of dreams. However, the most common way of gaining knowledge from animals in Welsh and Celtic mythology was to talk with them or to interpret their actions.

Exceptionally magic or ancient animals speak the language of humans and can pass on their wisdom through speech. By and large birds are associated with speech. Branwen took an ordinary starling and taught it to understand enough speech to find her brother (Ford, 65). Gwyrhyr & Arthur’s messengers conversed with an eagle, an owl, a stag, a blackbird, and a salmon to learn ancient knowledge from them (Ford, 148-149). A special understanding of the speech of animals can yield a great advantage. Some heros have gained knowledge of the speech of birds, enabling them to be warned of danger or told secrets by the birds. Davidson (87) mentions a less mythical middle-Irish manuscript describing how to determine the approach of visitors through interpretation of bird calls.

Animals appear as an omen by their appearance and activity through a symbolic message. The type of animal and their activity is the substance of the message. On the eve of his battle with Sir Mordred, King Arthur dreamt of being devoured by serpents, dragons, and other water beasts. The serpents and dragons alone mean great troubles within the land. King Arthur was destroyed by this mass of troubles, because the next day, he was defeated in a battle during the civil war with Sir Mordred (Baines, 497-498). Another example of an omen is Deirdre’s dream of the three great birds. They arrived bearing honey and left with blood, symbolizing treachery on the part of king Conchobar (Pilkington, 177). Movements of smaller animals, such as birds and rabbits, have also been interpreted to divine the future (Davidson, 11, MacCulloch, 219, 247).

Pages: 1 2 3 4